From recollection Souths signed full time 31 players for the NRL squad in 2017.

In 2018, it will be 30 full time players plus 6 development players who essentially U20s players, so it will be similar to 2017.

What concerns me, is that Norths will need to sign at least 10 players to fill the NSW Cup team, but we have not got any quality players on our books at the moment.

If Norths don't sign enough quality players for NSW Cup, then the U20s will need to step up and it is likely that they will not be up to it in an open age competition (see Adam Doueihi's 2017 season), and at the same time weaken the U20s team which has a good change of being successful.

Seeing the first round team this week and I am sure I am not the only Bears supporter thinking 'who'?

One of the great joys of last season was to see how so many of the Bears signed players stood up to be noticed.

We potentially suffer for this as they can head elsewhere in search of an NRL start, but I find it particularly upsetting that we never seem to have any continuity with Bears players - we might get two consecutive seasons at best.

Have a look at Newtown and how they always seem to have a core of players whom the surplus NRL players are added around. If any of this core have to play Ron Massey so be it, they come back when necessary. Bears just don't have it.

Chops Lambkin told me once we as a club are the worst payers in the business therefore retention of even half decent players is difficult.

It almost takes 3/4 of the season to strike an affinity with the new players, by which time the Souths contribution of players has fallen over in the run up to the NRL semi-finals, and it does make it very hard unless you are a footie purist who simply wants to watch footy.

For those with the strong emotional ties to the Bears, it makes it very difficult to back up, year-on-year with yet another whole squad of new faces.

Bears4Life wrote:

siv wrote:

Says more about the contract arrangements

With Souths signing 36 players now rather than 25

That almost a full RG squad

Plus how many U20s were on more than 2 year arrangements

From recollection Souths signed full time 31 players for the NRL squad in 2017.

In 2018, it will be 30 full time players plus 6 development players who essentially U20s players, so it will be similar to 2017.

What concerns me, is that Norths will need to sign at least 10 players to fill the NSW Cup team, but we have not got any quality players on our books at the moment.

If Norths don't sign enough quality players for NSW Cup, then the U20s will need to step up and it is likely that they will not be up to it in an open age competition (see Adam Doueihi's 2017 season), and at the same time weaken the U20s team which has a good change of being successful.